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Subatrophic pharyngitis – This is a chronic inflammation of the mucous membrane of the throat, accompanied by pain, perspiration and a feeling of discomfort in it. Subatrophic pharyngitis is localized more often in the middle and lower parts of the throat – in the oropharynx and laryngopharynx. With the disease, a diffuse lesion of the mucous membrane of the throat occurs with the onset of the process of tissue atrophy.
Subatrophic pharyngitis is considered by otolaryngologists as the initial stage of atrophic pharyngitis, which manifests itself after the hypertrophic form of the disease. Timely treatment of the disease at this stage is able to fully restore the functionality of the mucous membrane of the throat, and the lack of therapy leads to the progression of the pathological process with the development of complications (including the development of oncological processes).
Causes of subatrophic pharyngitis
The causes of subatrophic pharyngitis lie in the long-term irritation of the mucous membrane of the throat.
This can happen due to a number of factors:
Exogenous causes of inflammation, including: exposure to dust, inhalation of dry and hot air, smoke in the air, the presence of chemicals in it.
Constitutional features of the structure of the mucous membrane of the throat and the gastrointestinal tract as a whole.
Violation of nasal breathing, its complete absence. The impact on the mucous membrane of the throat of vasoconstrictor drugs used to reduce nasal congestion negatively affects.
Bad habits – drinking strong alcoholic beverages, smoking.
Allergic reactions of the body.
Endocrine diseases, including menopause.
Lack of vitamin A in the body.
Renal, cardiac and pulmonary insufficiency, diabetes mellitus.
Autoimmune diseases, for example, Sjögren’s syndrome, which is characterized by an increase in the salivary glands and dryness of the gastrointestinal mucosa.
Diseases of the digestive system, in which the acidic contents of the stomach irritate the mucous membrane of the respiratory system. This can happen with esophageal reflux, gastritis, stomach ulcers, etc.
Symptoms of subatrophic pharyngitis
Symptoms of subatrophic pharyngitis are reduced to the following manifestations:
The throat feels dry and itchy. Patients complain of a sensation of a lump in the throat.
The feeling of a foreign body in the throat makes a person want to cough up, clear it.
The cough is dry and persistent. Such a cough is easy to differentiate from a cough with tracheobronchitis.
Thick viscous mucus constantly accumulates on the back of the throat. It is very difficult for the patient to get rid of it, as it often forms crusts.
The surface of the throat is pale, dry. This causes the patient to constantly desire to take a sip of water.
It is possible to visualize swollen tubopharyngeal ridges, the presence of foci of hyperplastic lymphoid tissue.
As the disease progresses, there is an increasing thinning of the mucous membrane, increased soreness and discomfort in the throat.
There may be an unpleasant odor from the patient’s mouth.
Due to constant discomfort in the throat, the patient’s sleep is disturbed, irritability and nervousness increase.
Body temperature, as a rule, remains within the normal range, general well-being is not disturbed.
Treatment of subatrophic pharyngitis
Treatment of subatrophic pharyngitis should be built on what exactly caused the disease. All chronic respiratory infections should be eliminated, the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses should be carefully sanitized, and nasal breathing should be normalized if it has been disturbed. If necessary, conservative or surgical treatment of tonsillitis should be performed.
It is important to stop smoking, to eliminate harmful industrial and household factors that contribute to the maintenance of inflammation of the mucous membrane of the throat. A prerequisite is to follow a diet with the exception of food that irritates the sore throat. This applies to spicy, salty, sour, hot dishes.
If the general condition of a person is not strongly disturbed, then it is enough to get by with symptomatic treatment of inflammation. To do this, make hot foot baths, carry out regular gargling, inhalation using a nebulizer. As for conservative therapy, local antibacterial and antiseptic agents should be used. It is important that the drugs not only disinfect a sore throat, but also have a softening, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effect.
For local treatment, the following drugs can be used:
For irrigation of the throat, a metered aerosol of Hexoral, Hexaspray, Ingalipt, Yoks, IRS 19, Camphomen, Proposol, Stopangin, Tantum Verde.
As a solution for rinsing and irrigating the throat: Vokadin, Miramistin, Rotokan, Octenisept, Povidone-iodine, Furacilin, Evkalimin, etc.
Lozenges Anti-angin, Geksaliz, Imudon, Sebidin, Septogal, Faringosept, etc.
Lozenges for resorption Drill, Septolete.
Patients with subatrophic pharyngitis need to be careful with the use of drugs containing sulfanilamide, propolis and iodine. These substances have an irritating effect on the mucous membrane of the throat and are able to dry it out, which will not relieve the disease, but only aggravate its course.
Do not rule out physiotherapy. Methods such as ultrasound, microwave therapy, throat phonophoresis, UV irradiation have proven themselves well.
As for taking systemic antibacterial drugs, they are prescribed only if a pathogenic flora is found in a throat swab based on the results of a bacteriological study.
A patient with detected subatrophic pharyngitis should be mandatory examined for the detection of pathologies of the digestive tract, since the relationship of these diseases has been proven. Often, it is impossible to get rid of chronic pharyngitis until the disease of the stomach or intestines is eliminated.
As a rule, the prognosis for the recovery of patients with subatrophic pharyngitis is favorable, provided that the etiological factor that led to the development of inflammation is identified and eliminated.